Senator Hatch Reacts to President Obama’s Planned Executive Order on Immigration
Washington, D.C.—Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the most senior Republican in the Senate and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Obama’s decision to issue an executive order on immigration:
“President Obama’s promised executive action and his refusal to work with Congress isn’t just legally and constitutionally problematic — it will also ultimately hurt the millions of legal and illegal immigrants who need real, lasting immigration reform. The President rightly recognized as recently as last year that ‘there is a path to get this done and that is through Congress.’ Republicans have demonstrated a willingness to work constructively towards permanent reforms. The Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill, and the House is poised to consider several immigration reform efforts. But rather than work with Congress, the President has instead chosen to foster mistrust, polarization, and gridlock. This is a disappointing day for our country, and especially for the millions of legal and illegal immigrants who deserve lasting immigration reform rather than temporary illegitimate half-measures."
Senator Hatch voted for the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill and was the only Republican outside of the Gang of 8 to support the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has repeatedly spoken about the need to approach immigration reform based on areas of widespread agreement, and introduced the bipartisan “I-Squared Act” with Senators Klobuchar, Rubio, and Coons to reform the visa program for high-skilled workers based on market demand.
You can watch his response to the action on Fox News here:
